NEW HIGHWAY 25 STRETCH OPENS

A new 1.3 miles of relocated Highway 25 and 1,500-foot-long bridge over the Diversion Channel were opened to traffic Wednesday afternoon, the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department said. The new highway and bridge are between Dutchtown and Blomeyer.

Officials warned that a 30 mph speed limit now in effect there probably will remain in effect until next spring because shoulder and embankment work on the west side of the highway is not complete.

Bob Wilson, department resident engineer at Jackson, said orange reflectorized drums are set 100 feet apart on the narrow, 2-foot-wide west-side shoulder between Dutchtown and the bridge to warn motorists of danger.

"There is really no shoulder there at all to speak of," said Wilson. "If someone runs off the highway along the west side of the pavement at a high rate of speed, they could have a very nasty accident."

Wilson also warned motorists that if a vehicle breaks down in the southbound lane of the highway there is no place to pull off between Dutchtown and the bridge.

Wilson explained the shoulder and embankment work on the west side of the southbound lane could not be completed because of its close proximity to the old highway and moving traffic.

Wilson said: "With the opening of the pavement we can now move traffic over to the new stretch of highway and close the old highway so the contractor can finish the shoulder and embankment work. Unfortunately, no work can be done when it's below freezing or extremely wet. So it's possible the shoulder and embankment work may not be completed until next spring. Until the work is done, we must maintain the 30 mph speed limit day and night."

Wilson said all of the shoulder and embankment work along the northbound lane is complete.

He said the contractor will begin work later this winter to dismantle the old highway bridge and take out the pavement of the old highway between Dutchtown and Blomeyer.

The Highway 25 relocation and bridge project is the largest construction project to be completed in the Cape Girardeau area in more than two years. Total cost of the highway and bridge was $5.9 million. It is one of a number of construction projects in the area totaling more than $8 million.

The highway construction was done by Robertson Contractors of Poplar Bluff. The bridge work was by Penzel Construction Co. of Jackson.